Official Blog LogoCURRENT LOCATION: Herman B. Wells Library in Bloomington, Indiana
If I am not at the Grammys in 11 months, I will destroy my own career. Yes... These are the standards in which I hold myself--which might sound crazy considering last August I couldn't rap. So now it's been 1, 2, 3... 7 and a half months and yes, I've come a long way.
For those that don't know, my song "Go Down and Show" has received airplay nationally and seems to be having its own fiasco on YouTube.
What started with three of my girl friends telling me they were going to make me a music video because they were tired of watching still pictures on YouTube -- check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N97RvVu3xWo -- became an "I can shake it better than you" debate which led to the SHAKEiT4JQ competition. I've been lucky enough to have 100+ videos posted by girls across the country and from all around the world including girls from the Canada, the UK, and Spain!
Unfortunately, YouTube keeps taking down the best ones cuz they're "inappropriate" -- I guess they don't want a six year old -- yeah, there's six year olds on YouTube these days, go figure -- watching girls in thongs without bras dancing to a song about blow jobs. Did I just type that outloud? I'm going to save one of these so-called "inappropriate" videos one of these days and post it here to show you what I'm talking about.
Anyway, back to my "Grammy guarantee" which will slowly seem less crazy as the months wear on, but if I was you right now, I'd probably press "X" -- thinking who is this kid -- and WTF makes him think today he is nobody and tomorrow he'll be at the Grammys?
A little bit over a year ago, I was running my sports memorabilia company (ONtheCOURTSports -- http://stores.ebay.com/ONtheCOURTSports-Memorabilia) which was "nice" before this recession, when a Grammys advertisement popped across my page. I hadn't really been writing at the time... I don't know... It goes in phases, ya know? Writing that is. But anyway, for some reason, at that very moment, I was bored with life--with routine. I was done pledging (yeah, I'm in a fraternity... Zeta Beta Tau, '11 Full, yessur (at Indiana University btw)).. School was kickin' my ass and the classes weren't nearly as good as first semester.
At that point, I decided I was a rapper. See, I was always a poet... and I've always been into music. I had recorded a track or two joking around with my boys that remained in our day to day playlist about some crazy ex-girlfriend and real "hip-hop", but nahhh... This was different. This was for real.
I told a couple people, who obviously didn't take me seriously... and I slept on it. But for some reason, unlike most dreams we have on a day to day basis, this one didn't go away. I started to write songs... a lot of songs. Songs like thiss:
JQ - 'Bout My Money (T.I. - Big Shit Poppin' REMIX)
http://www.limelinx.com/files/2bc114568c3abfdfb78a5a84c3e9f833-- The First "No Limits" Zone EXCLUSIVE Release.
(yeah, as you can see, my style has changed a lot hahaha... yeah, a lot... I realized I wasn't a thug? "So who am I?" if I'm not a thug and I rap -- that's a question for my next blog.)
I didn't really know what I was doing, but I was further along than I thought and by the time summer hit instead of heading to New York as originally planned, I found myself in a nice learning situation in Chicago with house music legend Vince Lawrence of Slang Music Group (http://www.slangmusicgroup.com/).
But back on Grammy night, February 10, 2008, I told myself that in two years, I would be at the Grammy's (aka 11 months left). It was more than an "I told myself" sorta thing; it was like an oath.
People have been hatin' since so I must be doing something right and as my good friend Jon Ackerman told me the other day, "That's your motivation--isn't it? Proving people wrong... That's what keep you going."
I plan on using a handful of quotes like Jon's inside the cover booklet (what is that thing called?) of my debut album, which I don't have a release date for, but my only hint is that it would have to be before the Grammys next year, if I was going to be there, wouldn't it?
That's "Enuff" for now -- a subtle shoutout with hint to my nexttttt blog. As Lupe told me back in 2006 when he autographed my picture and watered the "rapper seed" Kanye planted in my brain, "Stay Tuned!"
"See No Limits. Hear No Limits."
-JQ
www.myspace.com/JQhitsit
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